Though most people the title of executive administrative assistant to be a fancy title for a secretarial position, most companies consider the two to be vastly differing jobs. While a secretary's duties lean more to clerical tasks, an executive assistant will carry out duties that assist a high ranking executive in fulfilling their own job duties.
These duties can range from managing and fulfilling invoices, booking travel and composing itineraries, compiling detailed research reports, coordinating meetings and managing and hiring other secretarial staff members. These assistants may also need to act as an executive's representative in meetings or at conferences.
Those interested in working as an executive administrative assistant should purse a bachelor's degree, while taking care to include courses that focus on matters of finance and accounting in order to round out their resume with enough knowledge to fulfill the duties of this task (it might be useful to list these courses in your executive administrative assistant resume). A course of study that includes ample attention to matters of business administration will provide top notch training for a future career in executive administration assistance.
Because there are many opportunities for executive administrative assistance in the field of both law and medicine, it is also wise to take some basic courses in these areas, depending on the field where you most desire to work.
During the course of your education, it may be helpful to fulfill an internship or get a part time job working as an assistant to an executive administrative assistant. You can often locate these types of openings in law firms, medical offices, and accounting firms.
Another step you can take in preparation for this type of job is to join an organization like the International Association of Administrative Professionals. If the organization offers any special certifications, be sure and take the opportunity to take the necessary exams in order to obtain a professional certification.
When you have completed your education, you should tailor your resume to highlight any type of experience you have in this type of environment. If you've spent time as an intern, always be sure to ask the people you interned for if they know of any job openings, and whether they would be willing to offer you any letters of professional reference.
You can also get help finding job leads by checking online job boards, along with signing up with an employment agency. Many executives prefer to rely on the vetting skills provided by a placement agency in order to save time and resources.
Though it can often be difficult to get hired for this position without prior experience, but it is very possible to rise to the rank of an executive administrative assistant by getting hired at a firm that hires such assistants and by working in a lesser capacity until such a position becomes available.
Often, when a position becomes available for an executive administrative assistant, upper management may pay close attention to existing staff who are already familiar with the firm's working environment.
Though you may not find your ideal position right away, remain patient and build your resume by working as a secretary or administrative assistant in your chosen field. If you perform your job duties with excellence, you will likely find the opportunity you originally sought as an executive administrative assistant will become more obtainable because of your continued growth and experience.
- Gail Esparan